Three Keys to Bigger Training Budgets

Welcome to December, that crucial month when many of us are putting the final touches on next year’s training budgets.

How did your last budget review meeting go?

NEGATIVE – Management poked at your programs, questioned expenditures and dismissed explanations. The meeting was oriented around how to cut costs, even
though you’ve already cut to the bone. You barely escaped with your life and your job.

NEUTRAL – Management reviewed your programs and performance without enthusiasm. Your results didn’t spark much discussion and the meeting was pro forma.
You weren’t asked to participate in any new initiatives, so you’ll probably get the same budget and headcount as last year.

POSITIVE – Management high-fived your review of improvements. Your solid answers to their questions sparked enthusiastic brainstorming over which business
initiatives you can help attack next year. They saw you as an essential contributor to the organization and allocated more training resources to match.

If your review didn’t land in the POSITIVE category, take heart and then take a look at what Lean Knowledge Transfer can do for you. Resolve to do these
three things, and next year you’ll be sitting tall at the budget table.

#1: Think and Talk Like a CEO

Too often, executives see training as a necessary evil rather than the improvement powerhouse it can be. The only way you’ll ever change that is to stop
being a training person trying to fit into the business world and become a business person working in the training space.

The best thing you can do for your company (and your career) is to view yourself as a problem solver who delivers measurable business value by improving
knowledge transfer.

Business Defects cost your organization money, time and reputation. They keep managers and executives up at night. When training helps eliminate business
defects with measurable results, you’ll be visible, valuable and will be allocated resources accordingly.

#3: Frame Your Training Results in Terms of Business Impact

Once you’ve helped eliminate Business Defects and you’ve achieved measurable results, make sure to report them in strong business language.

Which of the following is more likely to get you that positive budget review?
“We trained 500 employees in our Unforgettable Customer Service class.”
OR
“Customer satisfaction decreased last year by 27%. We identified 6 key skills that 18 of our service reps were deficient in and gave them special
training. As a result, we made up the 27% and raised satisfaction by another ten percent.”

See the difference?

If you want more budget, use Lean KT methods to prove that the money being spent on training is actually improving business performance. It’s that simple.

About the Author

Todd Hudson is a knowledge transfer expert whose work
experience includes starting up and directing global operations for large high tech firms. He has personally onboarded hundreds of new hires. In 2004, he founded his own
think tank for innovation in knowledge transfer that he still leads today. He also is creator of his own lean learning system, which brings a whole new level of
efficiency and effectiveness to training and knowledge transfer. In 2009, Todd co-founded a consulting firm whose mission is to help Gen Y new hires succeed in their
first jobs by teaching them how to take charge of their own onboarding. Read more »

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